Letters

Legalize Prostitution

Dear Alibi,

[Re: “Vice Patrol,” Nov. 22-28] I always get a kick when churchies attempt to legislate morality by hook or crook. ... The Ten Commandments are silent on the subject of prostitution and other controversial subjects. If we base our argument on the theological beliefs of men such as David Maddox, i.e., using what's moral to establish what shall and shall not be lawful, we must defer to the ultimate judge, God. Had prostitution and other issues that the religious right find objectionable been such a burning issue, God would have made it part of the Ten Commandments. Instead, the creator remains silent on the subject.

Now, to the idiotic, sophist philosophy that "if communities are able to shrink the market for all forms of sex trade," prostitution will be reduced—hogwash. What makes Maddox and others like him think the average lonely man (or woman) will be deterred from seeking sexual relief from a stranger for a sum of money? The argument is the selfsame argument for legal abortion. If you don't make it legal, women will be forced to use the services of some possibly dishonest, incompetent or even possibly criminally motivated quack.

To keep prostitution safe for all parties involved, individual states should legalize it. It would be a tremendous source of revenue and provide a safety valve for individuals who might otherwise be tempted to commit criminal acts. In Germany, prostitution is state-run and a prostitute with a license can either work the street or work in “eros centers." Both require disclosure of income, payment of taxes and periodic health inspections. Germany has a much, much lower crime rate in all categories than the United States and is an economic powerhouse in the world. You can't argue with success.

David A. Phillips

Ax to Grind with “El Machete”

Dear Alibi,

It would be most refreshing to see the Alibi publish the honest corollary to Eric Garcia’s “Made in the USA” cartoon—namely, an illustration indicating the more than one thousand rockets fired last month from Gaza into Israel, appropriately stamped “Made in Iran.”

Such an image would likely be appreciated by the overwhelming majority of Americans who have supported Israeli operations in the face of Hamas terror, as underscored by President Obama’s unequivocal statements affirming Israel’s right to self-defense.

Indeed, that “El Machete” would offer some true insight into what life has been like for millions of Israelis threatened daily by a well-armed entity that seeks nothing less than their total annihilation.

Sam SokoloveJewish Federation of New Mexico

DJ Discrimination

Dear Alibi,

[Re: “Burqueñas Talk Musical Misogyny,” Nov. 22-28] On Nov. 17, at a club in the Nob Hill area, I was invited to spin by a female event producer. At midnight, it was my turn to play. I was kicked out of the DJ booth 20 minutes into my set by a male DJ who had apparently been called in to replace me after the unexpected arrival of a party bus. I was devastated. There was another female DJ lined up to play right after me. She never got to spin that night because our event was taken over. We were forced out. There was a total of three female DJs that night, and only two got to play; I was kicked out of my own show.

On a separate occasion, in a Downtown ABQ club, I was asked to DJ for an event made for and by lesbian women of color. I had a long, four-hour set. Towards the end of it, a young, white male approached me with a request for a certain hip-hop song. I rejected his request because it didn't fit in with what I was playing. (My set was in the genres of moombahton and electro progressive music.) He then called me the “worst black person in history” because I wouldn't play his requested music. I had just received a racist remark by a tall, skinny white gay male at an event for lesbian women of color. What he said crushed me. If I were a big, black, male DJ, he would have never said that to me.

I wanted to say thank you for writing this article bringing light to this severe issue of sexism and stereotyped racism in Albuquerque's music community. Not only does this happen in the straight community, but in the GLBT community as well. More people need to be aware of this. It can no longer be swept under the rug.

Tiph Hunter, a.k.a. DJ Phive

Letters should be sent with the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number via email to letters@alibi.com. They can also be faxed to (505) 256-9651. Letters may be edited for length and clarity, and may be published in any medium; we regret that owing to the volume of correspondence we cannot reply to every letter. Word count limit for letters is 300 words.